How to Price Lawn Care Services: A Simple Guide for Small Crews

Pricing is the #1 question new landscaping business owners ask. Price too low and you're working for free. Price too high and you lose bids. The good news: there's a simple formula that works for most residential lawn care.

Know Your Costs First

Before you set a single price, add up your monthly overhead: truck payment, insurance, gas, equipment maintenance, and your own paycheck. Divide by the number of jobs you can realistically do in a month. That's your break-even cost per job. Every quote needs to be above this number.

The Per-Minute Method

The simplest pricing method: figure out your target hourly rate (for a solo crew, $60-$80/hour is typical), then estimate how long each job takes including drive time. A 45-minute mowing job at $70/hour = $52.50. Round to $55 for a clean number. Add materials separately.

Don't Race to the Bottom

Your biggest competitor isn't another landscaper — it's the homeowner with a push mower. Compete on reliability, not price. Show up when you say you will, send a photo when the job is done, and make invoicing painless. Clients will pay 10-15% more for a crew they can actually count on.

Track Everything

The biggest pricing mistake is not tracking your actual job times. After 20-30 jobs, look at your real numbers. Are you averaging 30 minutes on jobs you quoted for 45? You can either lower your price to win more bids or keep the margin. Either way, data beats guessing.